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WRCZ387

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Posts posted by WRCZ387

  2. What did I do wrong?

    in Guest Forum

    Posted

    11 minutes ago, SteveShannon said:

    I do!! I was born in 55. I was tempted to say I bought 10 cent comics but I couldn’t remember for sure. 

    I know mine were 12 cent, the only time I've read any 10 cent stories are in reprints

    To satisfy my curiosity, I just did a quick search and found: Both Marvel and DC made the move over the fall/winter 1961 period.

  3. What did I do wrong?

    in Guest Forum

    Posted

    On 5/28/2025 at 4:37 PM, SteveShannon said:

    I go back to the 12 cent comics but nothing in the last few decades. 😁

    I started with those also, I'd have to look it up to see by how much I missed the 10 cent ones, I was born in 1960, I probably started reading comics in 1964

    Remember the 25 cent 80 Page Giants from National [which is now DC]?

  4. Marine VHF

    in Miscellaneous Topics

    Posted

    19 hours ago, WRUE951 said:

    Remember the days when we watched TV off Antennas? One could easily pick up VHF signals 100's of miles away and it didn't always require line of sight. The same broadcast and from the same site in UHF never fared as well. UHF reception always required line of sight and distance was drastically cut short. VHF signals tend to work bounce back and forth between the earth and the ionosphere where UHF signals don't under most conditions making VHF a lot more reliable

    That explains why I could pick up VHF stations from Buffalo [2, 4, sometimes 7] & Syracuse [3, 5, never 9] when I lived in Rochester, NY, I couldn't get any UHF from Syracuse [24. 68] at all, & only once from Buffalo [29, never could get 17], & I think that was because of a band opening

    I probably would have needed a very tall tower to improve my reception chances

    There was a house just outside the city limits on the NW side that had vertically stacked TV antennas, I'm sorry that I never knocked on the door to ask what they were able to pick up

  5. At what point do you need an intervention?

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    On 5/2/2025 at 9:55 PM, WRTC928 said:

    If you have one radio for 70cm, 2m, 6m, and 10m, another one for GMRS and MURS, two mikes hanging off the same mount, and dual antennas whipping in the wind (nod to Billy Ray Cyrus), are you overdoing it? 

    Unless I missed a Billy Ray Cyrus tune, it was Aaron Tippin

    That tune goes back a bit

    Anyway, nope, not even close to overdoing it

  6. At what point do you need an intervention?

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    I just ordered an demo/open IC-F4021S from Ham Radio Outlet for $53.96, I'll buy the charger & AAA battery case for it

    But looking at this listing.....my Needing & Wanting are definitely at war  

    Does anyone recognize the blue case model at the top? I've seen orange & red case Icom h-t's, but not a blue one

    Never mind: I think that I found it, I think that it's the IC-F3201DEX

  8. Example of FCC enforcement.

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    On 1/7/2025 at 11:21 AM, SteveShannon said:

    I remember reading about that shortly after it happened. Some articles include the fact that he’s a ham in the headline, but that had nothing to do with the fact that he was disrupting their communications on 151 MHz and attempting to redirect firefighting resources. I would have loved to see the interaction when the official drove over to his location and clarified things.

    I have absolutely no sympathy for this jerk. He’s the kind of guy that reflects poorly on all hams.

     

    On 1/7/2025 at 11:31 AM, WRYZ926 said:

    I totally agree and I am glad to see the FCC not reducing his fines. Guys like that make all of us look bad.

    For what it's worth, when I read violations like this, I don't paint all hams with the same brush, I blame only the violator, I know that others may not feel the same way, but personally, I blame only the bad apple, not the entire tree

    Just my .02

    73

  9. MyGMRS Members Museum

    in Miscellaneous Topics

    Posted

    On 1/10/2025 at 11:46 PM, WRHS218 said:

    Not mine, I saw it in an antique shop near me. I think they were released in 1974.

    20241227_154221.thumb.jpg.2d82b4d64259ac9fabfae3ae04e42647.jpg

    This was my 1st CB radio, my parents bought me one for Christmas just before the CB boom hit

    Channel 1 was CB channel 14, I borrowed crystals for channel 10 for a weekend trip to Ontario, Canada so I could listen to the truckers [this was obviously before channel 19 became the nationwide road channel]

  10. 999 Channels For… ?

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    8 minutes ago, marcspaz said:

    With the frequency coverage, there is a lot of amateur radio, commercial radio and PRS that are all covered.  If you unlock it, you could use all those memory for MURS, Amateur repeaters, GMRS repeaters, your favorite simplex frequencies, etc.  If you travel a lot and want to save a bunch of GMRS or amateur repeater for where you travel to, that can be handy, too.

    1 minute ago, WRUE951 said:

    considering that more and more radios are capable of programing zones and various channels, it could be very easy to occupy all those channels, especially considering what Marc stated..   

     

    Two of my Alinco h-t's have 1000 channels & the other has 4000 channels

    I have the state that I live in & the states that I want to visit as zones, I have the open GMRS repeaters programmed in

    I check the db for additions & updates

    I don't know when I'll get to visit them, but my radios are ready

  12. I need a new GMRS radio

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    9 hours ago, GMRSJohn said:

    So far, I like the Alinco. It’s very convenient in that all I have to do is program it and I have only a few buttons to push and talk. However, with that (for those who don’t know) this radio is not manually programmable. Must be programmed on a computer. Which stinks to an extent… if you have to put in a repeater or such on the spot.

     

    Feature wise, it's not going to work for everyone

    If you need to program/reprogram it on the fly, no, it's not the best choice, BUT:

    1. If you need an h-t that can be set up [especially with basic/simple, or no functions/options], then handed to a non-radio user & not worry about them pressing buttons, changing settings, etc
    2. If you just want to program it, turn it on, select your channel/frequency/repeater, & start talking [Ron Popeil & his "set it & forget it!" comes to mind]

    For the users who need or want those scenarios, IMO the DJ-G46T fits the bill

  16. I need a new GMRS radio

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    12 hours ago, GMRSJohn said:

    I appreciate the help y’all! I went ahead with the Alinco. Added a Diamond SRH77CA antenna too. 

    The Diamond SRH77CA is a dual-band antenna cut for 2 meters & 70 CM amateur frequencies, plus the connector is SMA-M

    You'd be better off buying an antenna tuned to the GMRS frequencies which are a 462 MHz/467 MHz split

    For the Alinco, the antenna needs to be an SMA-F connection

    I would consider one from Smiley Antennas, centered at 465 MHz

    https://bettersaferadio.com/smiley-antenna-slim-line-whip-gmrs-465mhz-sma-f/ 

    https://bettersaferadio.com/smiley-antenna-slim-duck-gmrs-465mhz-5-8-wave-sma-f/

  17. I need a new GMRS radio

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    1 hour ago, GMRSJohn said:

    Do you have the DJ-G46T? And what are your thoughts on Alinco radios?

    I have the DJ-G46T & love it

    It's a cousin to the DJ-A446 PMR446 model & the DJ-A40T Part 90 commercial model

    I have several Alinco Part 90 h-t's & I love them [DJ-MD40T, DJ-MD5T, DJ-AXD4, DJ-500TB, DJ-A40T for UHF, DJ-A10T for VHF]

    I also have two Alinco amateur h-t's that I switched to commercial mode [DJ-VX50T, DJ-500T], but I've been using the Part 90's mainly

    I've been using them since 2019, & I recommend the Alinco brand to anyone, any user, whether they're ham, GMRS, MURS

  18. Antenna Recommendations for Apartment

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    2 hours ago, Daedalus0101101 said:

    Greetings everyone,

    I am hoping to get an antenna recommendation for someone that lives in an apartment. I have a HT that can hit my local repeater, but people say that its a bit scratchy and I have to be right next to my window to get good signal for transmit. I am looking to get a mobile station ( home base station.....why are there no radios like the iCom 7300 for GMRS??) and want a good antenna with a ground plane already on it. I won't be able to mount the antenna outside and/or punch holes through the walls for a cable being in an apartment, so I'm looking for something that can be inside near the window.  Already have power and my mobile unit (at least my first one) picked out, just need an antenna. 

    Thanks in advance

    David

    Maybe these will help:

    https://www.jpole-antenna.com/shop/462-mhz-land-mobile-gmrs-j-pole-antenna/

    You'll need to buy coax for it

    https://dpdproductions.com/collections/gmrs-base-mobile-antennas/products/gmrs-blade-indoor-antenna

    Comes with 18' of coax

  19. Adding New GMRS Frequencies

    in FCC Rules Discussion

    Posted

    3 hours ago, WSEM262 said:

    I'm curious why the existing GMRS frequencies can't be used as digital instead of analog? Would it create interference with the analog signal?

    It probably would

    Awhile back someone was using DMR or some other digital mode on .700 in the Tampa Bay area & it made .700 unusable

    I used to hear P25 on another repeater, but that wasn't that often, that was usually the repeater owner & anyone who has P25, I don't think that many users do, I have a P25 capable h-t, but I'm not going to use P25

    I could be wrong, but there would probably need to be a complete switchover to digital, or separate frequencies mandated for analog & for digital for things to work with no interference

  22. ICOM IC-F521 Programming

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    http://www.hamradiolife.org/icom/icomcps/cs-f-500_V2dotO.zip

    If he needs to buy a cable, go to bluemax49ers.com, use the software advisor to look up what he needs, they sell two cables, FTDI & prolific, he can download version 2.3 of the software from there also

    Hope this helps

    73

    Edit: I apologize for the poor typing, I slept in due to the hurricane, just got up, no caffeine or sugar yet, ugh

  23. what is the best 40 to 50 watt mobile radio for severe rf environments?

    in Technical Discussion

    Posted

    You may want to look at Used-Radios.com™ for a radio or radios, they'll program up to 16 channels for you to get you going

    Then BlueMax49ers - Beyond Cables That Work! for cables & software so you can add to/edit your channels down the road

    If you see a rig on Used Radios that interests you, you can check the software advisor on Blue Max 49ers for compatible cables, available software & pricing before you buy the radio

    I have been getting into Icom commercial h-t's, I know other users like Kenwood & Motorola, nothing wrong there, everyone has different preferences, needs, tastes, etc

    I have a couple of Part 97 amateur h-t's that I switched to commercial mode, but I'm treating those as backups, I prefer my actual Part 90 LMR's, I have & like both Alinco & Icom

    Although I do have, & like the Part 95 Alinco DJ-G46T GMRS h-t also 

    73

  25. Amateur radio maker getting into the GMRS market.

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    4 hours ago, wrci350 said:

    OK first impressions. A real review will have to wait until I can actually use the thing. I was planning to take it with me when I went out of town this weekend and test a new GMRS repeater but it was delivered on Saturday instead of the expected Friday.

    I'd say it's definitely based on the DJ-A446. Actually I would bet it's the same radio with different firmware. The inclusion of the "Emergency Alarm" and "Jacklight" (Alinco's words, not mine) nails that for me.

    Seems like typical good Alinco build quality. I found it interesting that it came with the antenna attached (making for a long skinny box) but it IS removable.

    The manual talks about programming software being used to change various settings, but so far my quest to find it has been in vain.

    More to come ...

    Call or e-mail Remtronix & ask them to e-mail the software to you

    I have a loaner unit to test & they e-mailed me a copy of the software

    You'll need an Alinco ERW-15 USB cable, or, the RT Systems USB-29A cable also works, that's what I used, the cable terminates in a 1/8" stereo/two-band plug

    I used it today in the car with a 1/4 wave NMO mag mount, it sounds great on receive, it has a clear speaker, I was told the transmit audio is good

    I'm going to give it more of a workout this week, both in the mobile & portable with different h-t antennas

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